BROKER’S COMMENTS 

THALASSA is a 48 ft yawl designed by Charles Sibbick, built of pitch pine on oak at his Cowes yard in 1903 but completed by Fay of Southampton (which became Camper & Nicholson) in 1906 and her story, some aspects of which are recorded below, is remarkable.

Sibbick’s star shone brightly, although not nearly as well known as Fife or Watson. He developed the fin and bulb keel configuration with a separate rudder, some 60 years before it became generally accepted.

That this vessel belonged to the same family for over 70 years speaks volumes………both yacht and her owners have benefitted.

THALASSA is still wonderfully original, both in terms of layout below and equipment on deck. For a vintage yacht this design has proved to be safe and easy to sail as well in her racing days as in her more recent summer cruises. Her simplicity is as striking as it is refreshing.

Thalassa has been thoroughly maintained with great care to keep her character. She is spacious on deck with teak cockpit, hatches and rail. Her interior is largely original and is very attractively paneled, full of interest and the atmosphere of her age.
 

HISTORICAL 

Although the identity of her first owner is unknown, there’s a record of owners since 1908. She raced frequently and in the 1927 Fastnet came 3rd. In 1934 and ‘35 she was owned by Guy Napier-Martin, whose sailing master was John Illingworth. He made extensive alterations and refers to her in his classic book ‘Offshore’.
In 1936 Alan Baker bought the boat and her participation in the 1939 Fastnet Race is reported in the book ‘To Sea in Carpet Slippers’ by Sandy Sandison, THALASSA’s cook at the time.
After the war, which she spent safely in a mud berth on the east coast, she was raced extensively with considerable success. When Alan Baker died in 1966 she was taken over by his daughter and her husband Richard Sewell who sailed her very actively for the next 41 years.
Details and a lot more information about her, with pictures and a “Classic Boat” feature from September 2006, can be found on THALASSA’s dedicated website. To see this please click here 

CONSTRUCTION 

1½ inch pitch pine planking on heavy oak frames, her top plank, cover boards and toe rail are all teak, as are her cockpit and hatches. Her decks are original yellow pine and were fibreglass sheathed in 1989, thoroughly checked over and repaired in 2010. 

ACCOMMODATION 

Recently painted out, the accommodation is now very light to behold; the mainly white interior panels contrasting with the deep mahogany frame features. There is space for 7 or 8 people in 3 main cabin areas with:
- 2 x Bench seats in saloon fold down into berths, with two berths above on either side
- Chart table to port and and access to engine
- 2 x Berths, drawers and lockers in cabin amidships
- Head with recond Baby Blake and sink
- Oilskin locker
- Galley forward, cooker and sink, many lockers and cupboards,
- One or two berths in fore peak
- Sail locker in lazarette aft of cockpit
- Numerous storage lockers throughout
 

RIG, SPARS AND SAILS 

Auxiliary cutter headed Bermudan yawl with short bowsprit.
- Keel stepped varnished mast with boom.
- Masts lifted out, stripped and varnished in 2009
- All rigging checked over and any necessary work done
- Staysail is set on a boom
- Running backstays, operated by Highfield levers

All sails serviced and laundered winter 2009 - 2010
- Mainsail; Crusader 2003
- No 1 Jib Crusader 2005
- Mizzen; Barter & Huggett 2002
- Staysail; Barter & Huggett
- Mizzen Staysail; Barter & Huggett
- Genoa; Barter & Huggett 1993
- No 2 Jib; Barter & Huggett, seldom used
- No 3 Jib; Barter & Huggett, seldom used
- Trysail; Barter & Huggett 1989 (Never used)
- Spinnaker; Wartime parachute ! 

DECK EQUIPMENT, HARDWARE, GROUND TACKLE 

- Winches; Lewmar single speed winches, not self-tailing
- Windlass; Simpson Lawrence electric winch SL280006.
- To optimise trim the anchor chain is stowed aft and has to be ranged along the deck.
- Stainless steel pushpit and pulpit
- Coach roof mounted compass
- Forehatch, aft skylight and middle cabin skylight, which can be opened
- Sail Locker hatch
- Avon Redstart with Yamaha Malta 3.5 outboard
- 6 fenders
- Warps; various of which three are 33 m length
 

MECHANICAL ELECTRICAL AND TANKAGE 

Engine
- Perkins 4 cyl 37 BHP 4/108 diesel installed in 1984 and recently given major overhaul
- Propeller is offset to port

Electrical
- 2 banks of 120 AH 12v batteries; one set new in 2007
- Alternator run off engine
- Honda generator, with output of 12v and 240v
- Navigation and interior lights
- Fridge

Tankage
- 2 x Fresh water; capacities approx 40 gallons and 30 gallons, pumps for each
- 20 gallon fuel tank (av consumption c 2.2 hours per gallon 18 - 2000 rpm economy)
 

NAVIGATION ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATIONS 

- Garmin 126
- Navtex, operating on both frequencies.
- Sestrel compass
- Hand held Sestrel compass
- Nasa Target depth sounder
- Raymarine log with distance and depth
- Raytheon 10X Radar
- Silva VHF Radio, with DSC 

SAFETY 

- 1 x automatic electric bilge pump
- 1 x deck bilge pump
- 1 x bilge pump at base of companion steps

- Fire extinguishers
- Flares
- Fog horn
- Harnesses
 

REFIT 2009 - 2010 

- Engine overhauled.
- Many small repairs made and any issues from survey dealt with.
- Cleaned, painted and varnished meticulously throughout with great care to keep and safeguard the depth and beauty of original surfaces.
 

DISCLAIMER

These particulars have been prepared from information provided by the vendors and are intended as a general guide. The purchaser should confirm details of concern to them by survey or engineers inspection. The purchaser should also ensure that the purchase contract properly reflects their concerns and specifies details on which they wish to rely.